It took only 27 million pounds or $44 million to give Britain’s ancient Stonehenge a makeover and the visitors to the site are in for a modern treat.  The renovations include a new timber and glass visitor center building about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the stones where over 1 million a year visitors can watch an exhibition about Neolithic life.
Late last year, in December 2013, journalists and English Heritage members were given a preview of the new center, which houses a 360-degree “virtual tour” of the monument, along with an extensive exhibition about how Stonehenge is believed to have been built about 5,000 years ago. So, what should the tourists and visitors expect when they arrive this year to see the site? The idea has been to return Stonehenge which is located 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, to its rural landscape. Visitors should expect to be transported to the stones on a special shuttle, or they can walk, exploring an ancient processional approach route that for years has been cut in half by asphalt. Inside, the exhibition will show that the monument’s prehistoric creators were sophisticated people, who raised pigs and hunted, gathered from far and wide for feasts and built this remarkable, mysterious monument.

The renovations which were funded partly through donations and partly through a levy on profits of Britain’s national lottery, has also almost doubled the entry ticket, from 8 pounds ($13) to 14.90 pounds ($24) for an adult. However, the visitors beside watching the virtual tour, will see a modern cafeteria and a large gift shop, where visitors can buy many souvenirs including jam, chocolate, baseball caps, mouse pads and fridge magnets, as well as “Stonehenge Rocks” T-shirts as Associated Press reports. It is believed that Stonehenge was built in three phases between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C.

Archaeologists and experts now agree that the site was a temple and a giant burial ground for elite families. Archaeologists have found the remains of dozens of cremated bodies from about 3000 B.C. whose location was marked by bluestones.  More evidence also suggests large crowds gathered at Stonehenge for the summer and winter solstices, a tradition that continues today.  More research and exactions will be done in years to come as more than half the site remains unexcavated.

Photos by Farzad Aryan

According to the reports coming out of Iran and received by WCHV, the Persepolis area is in very poor condition. This area is considered part of the Iran’s World Heritage site and for the last few years, important safeguarding and preservation have not been done for this historical site which is a few thousand years old. Unfortunately, warnings by the activists of Cultural heritage, as well as the Pasargad Heritage Foundation’s reports to the UNESCO have so far not produced any results.

Persepolis was founded by Darius I in 518 B.C., Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired by Mesopotamian models. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site.

UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Jamshidieh Park, in the north of Tehran is being destroyed, paving the way for the construction of a few high-rises. The old and famous park has been registered as a national intangible heritage of Iran and is one of the important green areas of a city suffering from dangerous air pollution. The ownership of the park was recently transferred to a government-owned bank and the new owner has decided to build the high-rises and destroy the park, and this decision is approved by the Tehran mayor. Many people including environmental activists and even parliament delegates have protested this incredibly poor act.
Jamshidieh Park (or Jamshidieh Stone Garden) is located in the neighbourhood of Niavaran at the base of Kolakchal mountain. The Stone Garden became a public park in 1977, and was reconstructed and expanded to 16 hectares with the addition of Ferdowsi garden in 1995. The premises were established as a private garden by the Qajar prince and engineer Jamshid Davallu Qajar.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolakchal&action=edit&redlink=1)

Before Destruction:

After Destruction: